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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. land — ground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cold — an illness
  9. land — a country
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pass — a permit
  18. land — to come down
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fine — all right
  23. cold — not warm
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com